Suppose that if this Snowden information is right. Then, is it about time that more people stand up within NSA and other (foreign) organisations to stop this nonsense? And if it is true and these people do not stand up, what any better are you then as an employee of such an organisation, in comparison with one of the members of the 3rd Reich in Germany?

It might sound strange, but the parallels are amazing: Everybody followed others without doubting facts and without asking. And besides that they did not trust any other person within their organisation. That was a bitter fact in the 3rd Reich in Germany.

So if you don't believe me: Watch the movie "Der Untergang" or "Downfall"

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0363163/?ref_=nm_knf_i1

It gives you a very good insight of how the Reich functioned. This is a movie done in Germany, so they tell their own history. So I find we should take Snowden damned serious: It might be that he comes out as the "Sophie Scholl" of this era in future history books ...?

The dystopian fantasies of yesteryear are now a reality. We've allowed the coming of an age where the civil liberties our forefathers fought so hard for are being eroded by the day. Freedom of Press, Freedom of Speech and Freedom of Assembly are mere ghostly images of their original intent. We've woken up to an Orwellian Society of Fear where anyone is at the mercy of being labeled a terrorist for standing up for rights we took for granted just over a decade ago. Read about how we're waging war against ourselves at http://dregstudiosart.blogspot.com/2011/09/living-in-society-of-fear-ten-years.html

I also wonder how bogus this is. Unless the NSA has rewritten the laws that apply to RF propagation, one wonders how EEs can help but be skeptical.

I might buy that it would take someone walking up and down the halls, with a receiving device, getting snapshots of stuff on computers. Maybe. From a long distance? Even with a high gain antenna, aimed precisely in the right direction, the scheme seems unlikely.

It reminds me a little of hype you read occasionally, e.g. how "they" have devised tiny antennas to receive all of your DTV broadcast channels. Well, gosh, I suppose. If you have a strong enough signal, I suppose a paper clip would do too!

The dystopian fantasies of yesteryear are now a reality. We've allowed the coming of an age where the civil liberties our forefathers fought so hard for are being eroded by the day. Freedom of Press, Freedom of Speech and Freedom of Assembly are mere ghostly images of their original intent. We've woken up to an Orwellian Society of Fear where anyone is at the mercy of being labeled a terrorist for standing up for rights we took for granted just over a decade ago. Read about how we're waging war against ourselves at http://dregstudiosart.blogspot.com/2011/09/living-in-society-of-fear-ten-years.html

When I first read that on the way to work today, I thought for sure the journalist didn't get the story right. I still think so.

The slightly longer description I read today was that this happens by means of, e.g., a USB stick plugged into the computer. But a USB stick is very small, and the owner ought to wonder if it gets unreasonably hot, no?

Small (implying either very short and inefficient antenna, and/or very short wavelength) and cold makes me wonder what kind of RF it's transmitting, that can be received, presumably through a building, to a receiving site 8 miles away.

I'm skeptical. This cannot be the whole story by any means. But in the meantime, it can sure make people get indignant.